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Working to keep the peace: The impact of job schemes on ex-rebels27 February 2015
(IRIN
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Job-creation schemes are the traditional way to tackle the post-conflict problem of unemployed ex-fighters and to reduce the threat they can pose to peace and stability in fragile states. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101170/Working-to-keep-the-peace-The-impact-of-job-schemes-on-ex-rebels

Boko Haram takes aim at Nigeria's elections25 February 2015
(IRIN
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Three bomb explosions in the space of two days in northern Nigeria signal a resumption of urban terror tactics by Boko Haram, a jihadist group that wants to demonstrate it is still a force to be reckoned with despite recent military setbacks, according to analysts. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101159/Boko-Haram-takes-aim-at-Nigeria-s-elections

Three words of advice for WHO Africa's new chief24 February 2015
(IRIN
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WHO’s new regional director for Africa faces a tough road ahead, as she attempts to restore confidence in the organization following failures to act more quickly during the Ebola outbreak. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101153/Three-words-of-advice-for-WHO-Africa-s-new-chief

No longer at ease: Tackling the trauma of Boko Haram23 February 2015
(IRIN
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Nigerian society celebrates resilience – the ability to cope with adversity. But the growing number of people coming through the doors of the Crisis and Trauma Counselling Centre (CTCC) in the northern city of Kano suggests people sometimes need a little help to get by.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101150/No-longer-at-ease-Tackling-the-trauma-of-Boko-Haram

The wild bunch - Nigeria's tricycle taxis18 February 2015
(IRIN
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There are swarms of them in most Nigerian cities. Yellow, noisy and slightly dangerous, auto rickshaws provide cheap public transport - and a livelihood for tens of thousands of their drivers.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101137/The-wild-bunch-Nigeria-s-tricycle-taxis

For Boko Haram victims, charity begins at home16 February 2015
(IRIN
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More than 90 percent of the nearly one million people displaced by Boko Haram in Nigeria's northeast live in communities rather than the official centres administered by the government. It’s a reflection of traditions of hospitality and self-reliance that endure in Nigerian society, but will come under increasing strain the longer the crisis lasts.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101133/For-Boko-Haram-victims-charity-begins-at-home

Who celebrity advocates are really targeting. And it’s not you.13 February 2015
(IRIN
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In recent years, aid agencies have increasingly used celebrities to raise awareness and money for their causes. There’s just one problem: It doesn’t actually work. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101122/Who-celebrity-advocates-are-really-targeting-And-it-s-not-you

IRIN’s Top Picks: Aid corruption, Boko Haram and Caliphatalism12 February 2015
(IRIN
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Our global network of specialist correspondents share some of their top picks of recent must-read research, interviews, reports, blogs and in-depth articles to help you keep on top of global crises and aid debate.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101123/IRIN-s-Top-Picks-Aid-corruption-Boko-Haram-and-Caliphatalism

Thousands of Boko Haram refugees "stranded" in Chad11 February 2015
(IRIN
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More than 7,000 Nigerian refugees in Chad's Lake Region remain in need of humanitarian aid, following cross-border attacks by Boko Haram.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101118/Thousands-of-Boko-Haram-refugees-stranded-in-Chad

Fleeing Boko Haram - survivors' stories 10 February 2015
(IRIN
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Around one million Nigerians have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast. Many seek refuge in the city of Maiduguri, choosing to stay with relatives rather than live in government run camps. They witnessed the harrowing brutality of Boko Haram before escaping to relative safety. IRIN has been hearing their stories. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101113/Fleeing-Boko-Haram-survivors-stories

In Nigeria's northeast, no alarm over election delay9 February 2015
(IRIN
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In Boko Haram's northeastern stronghold, Nigerians have calmly accepted the postponement of scheduled elections. The military says it cannot spare troops to oversee a voting while it is engaged in a fresh counter insurgency mission against the jihadists. But elsewhere in Nigeria civil society groups remain suspicious that other factors may be at play in the decision to delay the poll. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101110/In-Nigeria-s-northeast-no-alarm-over-election-delay

Softly, softly: the humanitarian schemes aimed at countering Boko Haram6 February 2015
(IRIN
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Northeast Nigeria faces the dual challenges of tackling Boko Haram and deeply ingrained poverty. Now the government and some private philanthropists are implementing programmes to counter both, creating economic opportunities and providing humanitarian support as antidotes to the appeal of militancy.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101101/Softly-softly-the-humanitarian-schemes-aimed-at-countering-Boko-Haram

Boko Haram facing mounting regional military pressure 4 February 2015
(IRIN
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Nigeria, Chad and Cameroon launch coordinated attacks against Boko Haram as the African Union meets to discuss the details of its proposed 7,500-strong taskforce. The militant Islamist group is facing assaults on multiple fronts. Is the tide starting to turn in what is now a regional conflict? http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101088/Boko-Haram-facing-mounting-regional-military-pressure

NIGERIA: Boko Haram death toll over 2,000 for January2 February 2015
(IRIN
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Even with the contested figures of the attacks around Baga in early January, Nigeria faces a grim civilian death toll, mainly due to Boko Haram attacks. Nigeria would still be number one without the Baga killings in early January, around which figures vary wildly.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101081/NIGERIA-Boko-Haram-death-toll-over-2-000-for-January

How Boko Haram brought hunger to northern Cameroon28 January 2015
(IRIN
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More than half a million people in Cameroon’s Far North region are in need of urgent food aid, the government says, as attacks by militant group Boko Haram have forced farmers to abandon their fields, shut down local markets, and halted the movement of people and goods. http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101059/How-Boko-Haram-brought-hunger-to-northern-Cameroon

After Ebola: What next for West Africa’s health systems26 January 2015
(IRIN
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As rates of Ebola infection fall in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone planning has begun on how to rebuild public health systems and learn lessons from the outbreak.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101046/After-Ebola-What-next-for-West-Africa-s-health-systems

We saw what you did - satellites and human rights23 January 2015
(IRIN
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The shocking satellite imagery of the destruction in the northeastern Nigerian town of Baga and nearby villages earlier this month provided graphic evidence of the extent of the crimes by the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram when they stormed in.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101038/We-saw-what-you-did-satellites-and-human-rights

Nice and dirty – the importance of soil16 January 2015
(IRIN
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Be it laterite, loam, peat or clay, soil is life. It's the foundation of food security, and so the UN has declared 2015 as the year to draw attention to the stuff.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101019/Nice-and-dirty-the-importance-of-soil

Nigerian lives matter - the Baga controversy15 January 2015
(IRIN
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Two thousand killed or 150? Controversy surrounds the death toll in the northern Nigerian town of Baga following an attack in early January by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101008/Nigerian-lives-matter-the-Baga-controversy

Boko Haram and Nigeria's future - five key questions answered*13 January 2015
(IRIN
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The terrible news keeps on coming from Nigeria’s embattled northeast. Two suspected child suicide bombers reportedly blew themselves up in a crowded market on Sunday – the second such attack in two days linked to Boko Haram in which young girls were strapped with explosives. Meanwhile, the Islamic extremist group has maintained the momentum of its more conventional attacks, capturing the town of Baga last week on the border with Chad and deliberately executing civilians (earlier reports of up to 2,000 dead by Amnesty International have been disputed by the military. But the true figure remains unknown). http://www.irinnews.org/Report/101000/Boko-Haram-and-Nigeria-s-future-five-key-questions-answered